Week 3 | Faith Alone

Big Idea: We are justified by faith alone, not by works of the law.

Scripture: Galatians 2:15-3:14

Introduction

Have you ever played one of those claw machines at an arcade? You know, the ones filled with prizes that look so easy to grab, but no matter how perfect your aim is, the claw never seems strong enough to hold on?

You put in your money, carefully position the claw, press the button at just the right moment… and for a second, it looks like you’ve won. The claw grips the prize, lifts it off the pile—but right before it reaches the drop zone, the prize slips out.

So what do most people do? They try again. And again. They convince themselves that if they just adjust their timing or angle slightly, they’ll get it. But in reality, the machine is rigged. The strength of the claw is programmed to let go most of the time. It’s designed to take your money and make you believe that just one more try will do it.

Play clip from Toy Story

Now, imagine if your life depended on winning that prize. No second chances, no retries—just one shot. If you miss, you lose everything. The pressure would be overwhelming, right? That’s exactly what it was like for people trying to be “good enough” under the law.

Tension

For centuries, the Jewish people believed that if they just followed God’s laws well enough, if they performed the right rituals, if they obeyed the commandments perfectly, they could be righteous before God.

But just like that claw machine, no matter how hard they tried, no matter how much effort they put in, the standard was impossible to reach.

The law wasn’t designed to save them—it was designed to show them their need for something better.

And that’s exactly what Paul is trying to get the Galatians to understand. They had received salvation through faith in Jesus, but now, they were acting as if they needed to add something to their faith—like obeying Jewish laws—to be fully accepted by God. They were trying to “win” God’s favor by their own efforts, instead of resting in the fact that Jesus had already won it for them.

And if we’re honest, we do the same thing.

We may not follow ancient Jewish customs, but we fall into the same trap:

We think if we read our Bible more, pray longer, or serve harder, God will love us more.

We feel like if we mess up, we have to work our way back into God’s good graces.

We compare ourselves to other Christians and think, “If I were more like them, maybe I’d be closer to God.”

But here’s the question Paul is asking the Galatians—and the question we need to ask ourselves:

Do we really believe that faith alone is enough? Or are we still playing the claw machine, thinking if we just try a little harder, we’ll finally win?

Because here’s the truth: If we trust in anything other than faith in Jesus, we’ll always come up short.

Big Idea:

We are justified by faith alone, not by works of the law.

Truth

“The law demands perfection. No amount of good deeds can erase your guilt. The only way to be declared ‘not guilty’ is if someone else takes your punishment.”

This is the heart of Paul’s argument in Galatians 2:15-3:14. The Galatians were being tempted to believe that faith in Jesus wasn’t enough—that they needed to follow the Jewish law to be truly righteous before God.

But Paul steps in and reminds them: No one has ever been justified by works of the law—only by faith in Christ.

Context of Galatians 2:15-3:14

Paul is addressing a theological crisis: false teachers (Judaizers) were telling Gentile Christians that they needed to follow Jewish laws—especially circumcision—to be fully accepted by God.

Paul argues that justification (being made right with God) comes through faith in Jesus, not by works of the law.

This isn’t just a debate about Jewish customs—it’s about the very foundation of the gospel.

📖 Read Galatians 2:15-21 – Justified by Faith, Not the Law

English Standard Version Chapter 2

Justified by Faith

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Paul says that even Jewish Christians know that obeying the law cannot save them (v. 15-16).

He makes a bold statement: “A person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ.”

If righteousness came through the law, then Christ died for no reason (v. 21).

📖 Read Galatians 3:1-9 – Faith Like Abraham

English Standard Version Chapter 3

By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Paul calls the Galatians “foolish” for going back to works when they started with faith (v. 1-3).

He points to Abraham: Abraham was justified by faith, not works (v. 6-9).

This means that anyone who has faith is a child of Abraham—not just the Jews.

📖 Read Galatians 3:10-14 – The Curse of the Law and the Blessing of Faith

English Standard Version Chapter 3

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

The law brings a curse because no one can keep it perfectly (v. 10-11).

“The righteous shall live by faith” – Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4 to show that salvation has always been about faith.

Jesus took on the curse of the law so that we could receive the blessing of faith (v. 13-14).

Application

Paul’s message in Galatians isn’t just theological—it’s deeply personal and practical. The Galatians had started their journey with Jesus by faith, but now they were acting as if they had to earn God’s approval through their works. And if we’re honest, we do the same thing.

Even though we know in our heads that salvation comes through faith alone, our hearts often live as if we still need to prove ourselves to God.

So, what does it actually look like to live by faith alone? How do we stop depending on our own performance and truly rest in the grace of Jesus?

Here are three ways we can apply this truth to our lives today.

Stop Trying to Earn What You’ve Already Been Given

Many of us live like spiritual perfectionists. We think:

If I just read my Bible more, maybe God will be happier with me.

If I serve more at church, maybe God will love me more.

If I pray longer, maybe I’ll finally be “good enough.”

But that’s not how the gospel works. God’s love for you isn’t based on your performance—it’s based on Jesus’ perfection. You don’t have to earn what has already been freely given to you.

✅ Challenge: This week, take 5-10 minutes each day to sit in God’s presence without doing anything. No Bible reading, no praying, no trying to “prove” your spirituality—just sit and remind yourself that you are already fully loved and accepted in Christ.

Stop Measuring Your Faith by Your Feelings

Have you ever had a day where you didn’t “feel” close to God? Maybe you missed your quiet time, struggled with sin, or just felt distant. It’s easy to think: God must be disappointed in me.

But the gospel isn’t about feelings—it’s about facts. If your faith is in Jesus, you are justified, whether you feel close to Him or not.

Paul reminds us in Galatians 3:10-14 that relying on our performance will always lead to frustration. The law demands perfection, and we will always fall short. But Jesus took that burden on Himself so we wouldn’t have to.

✅ Challenge: Next time you feel distant from God, instead of trying to “make up” for it by doing more religious things, simply remind yourself of Galatians 2:20:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

God’s love for you hasn’t changed. Your righteousness is secure in Jesus, not in how you feel today.

Live in the Freedom of Faith

When we understand that we are justified by faith alone, it leads to freedom.

Freedom from guilt: You don’t have to carry the weight of your past mistakes.

Freedom from comparison: You don’t have to prove yourself by being a “better” Christian than someone else.

Freedom from fear: You don’t have to worry if you’re “doing enough” to keep God’s love.

Instead of being weighed down by religious pressure, you can live with joy, knowing that Jesus has already done the work for you. Faith alone means we can finally stop striving and start resting in God’s grace.

✅ Challenge: This week, when you catch yourself feeling guilty, insecure, or unworthy, stop and ask yourself:

“Am I living like I’m saved by faith alone, or am I acting like I need to earn it?”

Write down Galatians 3:11 somewhere you’ll see it often:

“The righteous shall live by faith.”

And then—live like it’s true.

Final Thought

At the end of the day, the question we need to ask ourselves is this:

Are we truly living by faith alone, or are we still trying to earn something that Jesus has already given us?

Landing

We live in a world that constantly tells us we need to do more, be better, and prove ourselves to be accepted. Whether it’s in school, sports, relationships, or even our faith, there’s this pressure to measure up—to work hard enough so that we can finally feel like we’re “good enough.”

But here’s the truth:

If salvation were about our effort, we’d never get there.

Just like that claw machine, no matter how hard we try, we’d always come up short. And Paul is saying to the Galatians—and to us—stop playing the game. Stop trying to grip salvation through your own strength because you’ll never hold on. Instead, recognize that Jesus has already won the prize for you.

Paul makes it clear: The law was never meant to save us. It was meant to show us that we can’t save ourselves. That’s why Jesus came—to do what we could never do. He took the curse of the law on Himself so that we could receive the blessing of faith. He fulfilled every requirement of the law and then gave us His righteousness as a gift.

This changes everything:

It means that when we mess up, we don’t have to spiral into guilt and shame, wondering if we’ve lost God’s love.

It means we don’t have to compare ourselves to others, trying to prove that we’re more spiritual, more disciplined, or more worthy.

It means that on our worst days, when we feel unworthy and distant from God, His love hasn’t changed—because our standing with Him has never been about what we do, but about what Jesus has done.

So here’s the final challenge: Live like faith is enough.

When you’re tempted to feel like God is disappointed in you because you didn’t read your Bible enough this week, remember: Faith alone.

When you feel like you have to act a certain way for people at church to accept you, remember: Faith alone.

When you mess up and feel like you need to “earn” your way back into God’s favor, remember: Faith alone.

Jesus has already won. The question is: Will we trust Him enough to rest in what He has done, or will we keep trying to claw our way to salvation?

Let’s pray.